My relationship with Pentecostalism has been strained at times.  I grew up in the Lord in a pentecostal denomination and it was really the only type of church that I really knew.  The problem was, I did not feel particularly “pentecostal”, more like a Baptist that spoke in tongues.  Before coming to Fuller I was open to leaving it altogether and moving on to some other theological stream.  But after a few quarters at Fuller the unthinkable happened, I found my fleeting Pentecostalism being affirmed and my comfort within the movement began to grow.  Now I am in a place where I am actually proud to be pentecostal and have  decided that this is were I fit best theologically. 

One of the things that has helped me to arrive at this conclusion is a class that I am taking right now called Pentecostal and Charismatic History.  It is a good class  and I am learning a ton of random Pentecostal trivia that could come in useful at denominational events.  For instance, the communist government in Russia actually supported and used the pentecostal movement to undermine the Russian Orthodox Church.  This is not really a fact that is going to transform my life but it it fun to know.  

This class has helped me to understand why the things that are so important to my denomination are actually important things.  I have refrained from joining my particular denomination (as a pastor) for many years but getting this greater understanding of the denominations history removes my reticence to join, and even makes me a little excited to do so.   It is amazing how just getting to know a little bit about where people are coming from can easily remove obstacles that at one point seemed utterly unmovable.